Can you believe it's been almost two months?!

Can you believe I've almost been out 2 months?! Insane or what? Sister Martin leaves on June 10th so obviously pretty soon. I will miss her, she has been such a wonderful trainer.  Sister Whipple (one of my Young Women's Presidents) and her husband came in and surprised me on Sunday. They brought us chocolate muffins, YUMMY :) It was lovely to see them and have a good catch up. What a small world! 

I feel like I am always happy here and everyone is so nice.  I was reading in Mosiah chapters 24 and 25, they are great chapters. Basically through Christ we can do all things. What peace and comfort that brings. If we submit ourselves to Him, we will be so blessed. We continue to walk in His way, He will prepare a way, even if we don't understand. Just like Nephi, "I know the Lord provides a way, he wants me to obey, I will go, I will do the things the Lord commands" 🎶🎶 The Lord's work is amazing wherever we are. I honestly find it so difficult to put into words how I feel about it but it brings pure joy. Like that's the best way to put it. 

At Brigham Young's home, the senior couple do a tour for us first and then we go and do it. It's a lot of fun and you can always relate things back to doctrine. It's actually the best place to teach the restoration and then give a Book of Mormon. I gave my first one out a few weeks ago.  I taught the restoration and told them of the importance of the Book of Mormon and my testimony of it and they took it. SO COOL. So every time we teach about the restoration and we use the pamphlet (number 1 with a picture of my brother and his family) and talk about the importance of families I say...and this is my family ha ha. People love it! 

It was great to hear this week that Nick, who I have spoken to through my online teaching, is on date to be baptized now. I check up with him through his missionaries but I'm so excited for him. We also have a baptism this Saturday in the 2nd ward, Alan. He's incredible. He has such a strong testimony, I literally have so much love for him. He just accepts everything we share with him and just really humbles himself. His prayers are so heartfelt. I can't wait to see him baptized. Also, there is a musical fireside on Sunday night, I'm singing with Sister Martin and also at Alan's baptism :) a lot of fun. Still got me singing! 

We have really being struggling to find more people to teach. We continue to pray everyday for someone to come along but it's just quite slow right now. We will continue to pray and try and have opportunities with everyone we seek but people are quite quick to reject us. Ah well, I know if we continue to work hard it will all work out. 

I am so grateful to be here and to be doing the Lords work. I can feel the spirit around me all the time and it literally makes me chest hurt, but like a good hurt haha :) xx

I love being here ❤️

Hello hello! 

My week has been good and BUSY, BUSY! :)  I have been on my third exchange this week.  I was with one of the Sister training leaders and it was great, I learned a lot.  We have done a lot of finding, we go door to door knocking and off referrals. We have been out in the rain a lot in the last few weeks. We have a lot of maps made for each area so you know where people are. Its really good, the Ward Mission Leaders are very involved.

I love my Book of Mormon reading, it literally confirms my testimony every single day. It's so true. I love getting into such good habits. I'm reading in Mosiah at the moment, I love it. It's so interesting and I can't stop. I was just thinking today of the importance of family prayer and scripture reading. I realise now as I'm teaching families, read your scriptures and pray as a family, just how important this is. I am so grateful for being raised in the gospel. I'm so grateful for my testimony and the truth I have in my life. I love Mosiah, it covers the entire gospel. How King Benjamin addresses all the people and tells them to repent and come unto Christ. Like a general conference, everyone gathers together to hear his word. Basically what we do as missionaries. 

I love the church so much, it truly is a light in my life. "I Megan, being born of goodly parents" - I have had so many emotional experiences in the last few weeks: often when I talk about times that I've been helped and supported by my parents  and times that Dad has been able to use the Priesthood to bless me. These experiences have really helped my faith grow and I'm so grateful for them and for loving parents. I am so happy here and really can see that I AM set apart from the world, but in a good way. I am feeling my confidence grow, I gave a tour around Brigham Young's home and at the end the lady asked me how long have you been out, I told her to guess and she said...well you seem like you've been out over a year. NOPE haha. I love it here. I can see how it can be harder to come home then it was to go out. I love being able to share my purpose with people, everyday. It's wonderful. I'm being looked after.

Love to all xx 

Hello again! 

It has been a good week.  This week I drove for the first time over here! Yes, scary but pretty easy. It's just an automatic drive :) I haven't driven very often but it was very enjoyable. "They see me rolling" ha ha. 

We have been fasting for the last two Sundays to find new investigators. A lot of finding! Walking up and down the streets in this heat or rain from the last few days ha ha. Also, in my online teaching in the Visitors Centre I'm teaching someone called Nick. Taught him the restoration over the phone and he said he feels so much peace when he hears about our church. Pretty sure he'll get baptised. Praying for that. 

I'm looking forward to going on an exchange on Friday, going to Kaibab.  I have no idea where that is: middle of nowhere I'm sure! 

My confidence is starting to grow, still a little timid in lessons but I'm glad I get the opportunity to bear my testimony everyday. In my personal study I looked at Mosiah 18, it's Alma basically setting up the church. It's such a good chapter. My scriptures are getting completely covered in markers and crayons, in a good way. You read things so differently on your mission. I love how every time you read the Book of Mormon it just reconfirms your testimony. It's incredible. I love the spirit that is with me everyday. Leading me to people and helping me know what to say. 

Every day I count my blessings.  I am grateful a wonderful family great friends and the opportunity to serve as a missionary. 

Sister Hooson xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My first week in St George

Helloooooo!

Things are going great :) it's so funny I have had lots of people asking me about the Princess, I'm like "I don't have the internet...I have no idea"! 

So the exciting part: my companion is Sister Martin. She is from Missouri and leaves next transfer so I only get to serve with her for 6 weeks which is sad :( she is incredible!  We are over the Washington Fields Stake, covering just 6 of the Wards and we also work at the Visitors Center. Our rota changes everyday but we just do 6 hours there. I have an ipad, but  I'm not able to keep it :( But it's cool :) 

The Church is such a small world - you can have a connection with someone In some random way. Already I've met numerous people with whom I share a mutual acquaintance.  On my first day we taught 5 lessons and we have 2 people on date for baptism. I worry sometimes as we're teaching that I don't know what to say but the Spirit always guides and I'm hopefully sharing something of help. We study for 2 hours in the morning and I can feel my knowledge growing each day. I am starting to learn the references that I need, the ones of main importance. As I read, it's helping me so much: the Spirit bears testimony to me each day of the truths in the scriptures.

We get to move into our new apartment today, we've been sharing with some other sisters: Sister Parton and her companion. We've been sleeping on sofas because our apartment wasn't ready. I am so excited to actually unpack.  I don't like living out a suitcase ha ha!  It's been raining for about 4 days so I haven't even had the real heat yet.  Everyone keeps scaring me about it though. We'll see how bad it gets ;)

I love my family and friends so much!  The church is true! If we put our faith in the Lord He will give us even more in return. Keep those thoughts close to you because we will be strengthened.